AEG Ogden, venue managers for the upcoming Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), said initial discussions have been held with clients interested in holding events in the sultanate as construction tenders are issued following the completion of site preparation near Muscat.
Speaking to Muscat Daily at the Kuala Lumpur Conference Centre (KLCC) in Malaysia, Rochelle Uechtritz, group manager convention sales development, said that following 18 months of studying the final design of phase one of the project, construction is now ready to commence.
The exhibition hall, parking area and energy plant are scheduled to be up and running by 2014, with phase two, involving an auditorium, banquet halls and meeting rooms is expected to be completed in late 2015.
A dedicated team is expected to arrive in Muscat over the next few months and by mid-2012 AEG Ogden would open an office to oversee the development. Initial efforts are underway to determine which areas of the industry are most applicable to the sultanate, said Uechtritz.
"We have identified 2,500 conventions that have the potential to come to Oman, with a view to securing business up to 2024. From the initial stages we have received very positive responses from key international decision makers."
"There are very strong leads and some of the conventions would involve up to 4,000 delegates. I am now taking this to Omani stakeholders to move it forward."
© Muscat Daily 2012
